The good news for FGCU is it made enough money the past two seasons to cut its number of sacrificial lamb games from four to three.

The bad news is the Eagles still can't get anyone to visit Alico Arena entering a season when they will need even more non-conference contests.

Big East Conference member Xavier will pay FGCU $95,000, plus two nights hotel stay and a few other goodies, for a Dec. 28 game in Cincinnati, FGCU athletic director Ken Kavanagh said of game announced Thursday by the programs.

The cost is a bit of an increase from the $80,000-$90,000 FGCU has received in recent years for its highest-profile "guarantee" games, including trips to Duke, VCU, Iowa State, N.C. State and Nebraska.

"We think that's the market price," Kavanagh said.

Xavier went 21-13 last season, 10-8 in the Big East, and lost in a first-round "play-in" game in the NCAA tournament, 74-59, to N.C. State.

FGCU was 22-13 last season and lost to Mercer in the Atlantic Sun Conference title game.

After playing four guarantee games — one-time road trips — per season in its Division-I history, FGCU will cut that number to three this season, Kavanagh said, thanks to increased ticket sales and other revenue the past two years.

"We're reinvesting in the program," said Kavanagh, pointing to statistics that he said show home teams win 70 percent of the time. "Really it's being fair. We'd like to get where we have no more than two (guarantee) games."

FGCU also released the date for a previously contracted home game with Furman, Dec. 19, while Kavanagh said FGCU will open another two-year home-and-home series with FIU with a visit from the Panthers this season.

The Dec. 19 game will be a homecoming for Mariner High graduate Kendrec Ferrara, who had 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in FGCU's 70-69 win last season at Furman in Greenville, S.C.

After playing 18 A-Sun games and 13 non-conference games last season, FGCU will have only 14 conference games this season because of the departures of Mercer and East Tennessee State for the Southern Conference.

As the likely A-Sun favorite next season with a fleet of returnees, FGCU is having an even harder time finding quality non-conference games for Alico Arena than it did last season coming off the school's appearance in the Sweet 16 in 2012-13, Kavanagh said.

"We're not in strong demand," he said, "because of what people see coming back on our roster."

FGCU also will visit Iona in New Rochelle, N.Y., to complete last season's visit to Alico Arena by the Gaels.

No date has been announced, but more home-and-home series with quality programs from outside power conferences are FGCU's best hope for attractive home contests.

"We're working on it," Kavanagh said. "It's like a dance routine right now. Everybody's looking for home games."

Kavanagh said FGCU continues working to establish an annual series with FAU, and the school has approached the Ivy League — also schedule-challenged with only eight league members — but couldn't find a workable date with last spring's NCAA tournament participant, Harvard, after promising initial talks.

Along with three guarantee games, FGCU also will have three neutral site games in the second annual Gulf Coast Showcase, Nov. 24-26, at Germain Arena in Estero.

Specific opponents have not been announced, but the field also includes East Carolina, Green Bay, San Francisco, Evansville, High Point and Fresno State. Previously announced participant UNC-Wilmington is no longer in the field.